There are approximately 100 treaty's broken in America alone. What would happen if a treaty was broken with America (think Iraq).
The pakeha are highly successful colonizers and have had plenty of practice. I wonder how long it will be until the British decide it is time to go back into Africa. Africa is rich in seafood, minerals and productive land. With a country so rich in natural resources why are they so poor? With each change in leadership there is a change in politics. Africans are left to sort each other out. A successful colonization strategy seen many times over. Once one people is almost decimated you cry genocide and go in and arm the weaker of the two and step back and watch. Maori also have encountered this type of tribal warfare.
In Pre European New Zealand there was no paramount chief. Successful colonization techniques where put in place to remove Maori leaders. Prices where placed on the tattooed (Moko) faces of Maori chiefs. One cheeky pakeha that had married into high ranking families in the east coast collected tattooed faces from neighboring tribes. This practice continued until his face was tattooed.
Similar practices were employed on the American Indian people and prices placed on the scalps of their chiefs. In old Western movies the native American people are depicted as the savages. Once the head is gone the people are lost. Wild western movies show one pakeha is worth ten or twenty native Americans.
As children growing up we used to play cowboys and Indians. Then after that we used to play Pakehas and Maoris. The pakeha kids would say I shot you. The Maori kids would say yeah but you missed and start wrestling.
(See new Zealand Land wars for more info). After the screening of the New Zealand land wars there was a public outcry as "mainstream" New Zealanders did not like the history lesson. You will notice that most of the land wars occured after the treaty was signed in 1840.
The story of Te kooti is one of New Zealands greatest.
Prior to 1840 the Maori could not be beaten on the battle field and so a treaty was struck. Their motto was the bigger the gun the deeper the whole. However the Maori were not prepared for the power of the pen. Our people were not defeated on the battle field but in the courts. The land alienated from Maori can be found in the court records. Taking Maori land is a billion dollar industry and wont stop until it has all been alienated. I would like to hear from native Americans with similar stories.
The last remaining landholdings are blocks that the pakeha didn't want. With time the value has increased and so has pressure to get Maori off it. The rating act is one of the methods Maori land is now being appropriated under. Consecutive governments give public apologies to Maori for wrong doings and then do it all over again (ie create new legislation to disposses the Maori -fore shore and seabed). Reparations are generally paid back to Maori (one hundred years later -about 10 cents in the dollar) and Maori are made to feel like they are handouts to the poor relations. There is no doubt that Pakeha colonization practices are sheer genius. For further information one only has to refer to the legislation and court records.
